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Isles’ Road to Playoffs Is Barnstorming Tour

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — As the lockout-shortened 48-game N.H.L. regular season nears a close, the resurgent Islanders face the challenge of playing their final five games on the road.

That would be a daunting task for most clubs, but for the Islanders, it may be an advantage. Seeking their first postseason berth since 2007, the Islanders are 12-5-2 away from Nassau Coliseum. Only the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks have fewer road defeats in regulation. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens also have five.

The Islanders are on pace for the best road record in franchise history. Heading into their season-ending games, their away points percentage is .684, with 26 of a possible 38 points. The Islanders’ best points percentage on the road is .663, in 1976-77 (23-10-7) and 1980-81 (25-12-3).

“We look to keep it simple — play tight defense and not take too many chances,” defenseman Mark Streit, the team’s captain, said. “I think we must take it to a higher level on the road, where we try to play careful games.”

The Islanders are seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets, who are battling for the final playoff berth. After Tuesday night’s 5-2 home victory over the Florida Panthers, the Islanders begin their end-of-season trek Thursday at Toronto, then play games at Winnipeg, Carolina, Philadelphia and Buffalo.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Islanders are the fourth team in N.H.L. history whose last five or more games were on the road. The others were Toronto (1986), Winnipeg (1991) and Edmonton (2007). The Oilers played their last six games away.

There is no panic among the Islanders because their confidence has grown when they wear their road white sweaters.

“We find ways to get points, and we know we can get results when we focus on playing our game,” said forward Colin McDonald, a newcomer to the Islanders this season. “It doesn’t matter to us where we play, especially now that we know we control our playoff fate. We are in a good spot right now.”

Keith Aucoin, a native of Waltham, Mass., who played at Boston Garden while in high school, said home ice advantage might not be what it once was because the acoustics in new and bigger arenas tend to diffuse sound.

“The old Garden was incredibly loud down on the ice, as Nassau Coliseum can be, because it was so small,” said Aucoin, who joined the Islanders this season. “Maybe we’ve taken advantage of that factor. We do play smart on the road and we work hard to take the crowd out of it early.”

The Islanders are 14-5-3 over all since March 1 and have allowed two or fewer goals in their last nine games. They improved their home play as the season went on, finishing 10-11-3 after a 2-8-1 start.

Much of that success is attributable to their stringent defensive game. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is tied for second with 21 victories, though he is mystified why the team is especially tough to beat away from home.

“I think we play the same game everywhere,” he said.

Streit, who anchors a young defense with his fellow veteran Lubomir Visnovsky, said good chemistry among the players could be an explanation for rival rink conquests.

“This is a team that gets along well with each other,” he said. “On the road, you’re just a team, and we have a really great atmosphere around us. It helps.”

The road success may also be just another oddity in this lockout-delayed season, a frantic sprint for the playoffs since the first puck dropped Jan. 19.

“A road trip this long to finish is unusual, that’s for sure; I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Streit said. “Then again, this whole season has been unbelievable.”

A version of this article appears in print on April 18, 2013, on page B17 of the New York edition with the headline: Isles’ Road to Playoffs Is Barnstorming Tour. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe